The Proof’s in the Process: Enhancing Compliance with JIRA and ProForma

The auditors are coming! The auditors are coming! The very thought of a compliance audit can strike terror into the heart of the best-prepared business administrator. No doubt your Finance department has sophisticated software for tracking funds spent and received, but what about all of those other business teams and their compliance requirements?

Operations has to make sure that your facilities are safe for workers and customers. HR ensures that you’re in compliance with labor laws, equal opportunity employment regulations and occupational safety standards. Even the cafeteria has a set of rules that they must adhere to. This regulatory maze creates three major challenges:

How do you set up systems to promote compliance?

How do you know whether or not you’re in compliance?

How do you prove you’re in compliance?

Let’s start from the top. You ensure compliance by designing good business processes that not only meet your business needs, but also satisfy your regulatory overseers. If your current processes aren’t keeping you in line, then implementing an automated service management system presents a good opportunity to revisit and improve your processes.

Once you’ve developed a set of sound business processes, you need to see if they work. Are people following the process as directed? Are there gaps? One of the great benefits of using a service management system like JIRA is that you can look at any time and see what has been done and what’s being done right now. Every request, every approval, and all of the stuff in between is stored in your JIRA instance. You can easily query the system to see what was done, when and by whom. This gives you the power to ensure that the systems you set up are functioning and to make any needed corrections long before the auditors come knocking at your door.

Now by merely following your normal processes, your team can demonstrate compliance at any moment. No need to dig through your inbox to find the email that indicates the date that Administrator A approved process B. All the information is there in the system, helping every team to be efficient, transparent and accountable.

Whether you’re wanting to ensure your ass is covered when regulators come around, or are more interested in measuring compliance with internal policies - ProForma gives you the tools you need.